OAKLAND -- Oracle Arena went nuts when forward David Lee came off the bench and walked to the scorer's table midway through the first quarter, ready for his Willis Reed moment.

The celebration was tempered when Nuggets coach George Karl called a timeout. But a few minutes later, at the 2:23 mark, fans got to finish the job when he officially checked in. DLee was back.

How exactly he could do this was unclear. He was supposed to be out for the season with a complete tear of his right hip flexor muscle in Game 1. But minutes before tipoff of Game 6, word got out that Lee was cleared to play. According to a team source, Lee was told he couldn't do further damage to his hip flexor, so he could play if he could handle the pain.

"It says a lot about who he is," coach Mark Jackson said. "He put himself in position to inspire his team. I wanted to capture that moment."

Jackson, the New York native, admitted that he was thinking about Reed, the former Knick who famously played with a severe thigh injury during Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Lakers in 1970 and spurred his team to its first NBA title.

Monday, Lee flew to Philadelphia to get a second opinion and also received confirmation he didn't need surgery to repair the tear. Jackson, general manager Bob Myers and the team's medical staff looked on in amazement as Lee ran and played one-on-one without any issues.

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His impact on the game turned out to be primarily emotional. He played 87 seconds -- all at the end of the first quarter -- missing an 18-footer and grabbing a rebound.

"It was huge," Stephen Curry said. "You could tell the energy he brought to the crowd and to us. He inspired us."

Warriors coach Mark Jackson was fined $25,000 for making public comments in an attempt to influence the officiating, the NBA announced Thursday. The fine -- levied by NBA executive vice president Stu Jackson -- was based on comments Jackson made after the Warriors lost Game 5 in Denver.

"I don't like it," Jackson said before the game. "I don't like it. And I disagree. And that'll take care of itself."

Jackson, after Tuesday's Game 5 loss at Denver, accused Denver of sending "hit men" after point guard Stephen Curry. He was specifically unhappy about Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried trying to trip Curry in the first quarter, which Jackson took as a shot at Curry's oft-injured right ankle.

Thursday, Jackson said he was still smiling despite the financial blow. He expressed pleasure in not being fined for criticizing the referees, something he said he takes pride in not doing.

Karl, who made his share of controversial comments about Warriors' players, was not fined. And he was trying to keep it that way.

"Interesting interpretation," he said when told the league's reason for fining Jackson. "I don't want to get fined. I mean, I'm not going to bite on that one."

All the talk of the physical play in the series had one Warrior excited. "It's a man's game. It's fun to me," rookie forward Draymond Green said. "Who likes soft basketball? They used to say basketball was one of the most physical sports. Now you get physical and everybody starts pouting. Just play basketball."

While a lot of attention is being paid to Curry, Green's name has been popular in the Denver locker room. The Nuggets said the Warriors have been playing dirty all series, and they've pointed to Green as a major culprit.

After Game 5, Karl jokingly asked the media if Green played football or basketball at Michigan State. Green responded on Twitter by posting a picture of him in a Spartans football uniform (he participated in spring practice his senior season).

"I loved it," Green said of Karl's comments. "If he's wondering if I played football or basketball, that means I'm a two-sport athlete."

Green has been a big plus off the bench for the Warriors. For the series, he averaged 4.3 rebounds and a block in almost 15 minutes a game.